June 1, 2026
PRESS RELEASE
Contact: John Dougherty, Executive Director
jdougherty@scenicsantaritas.org
Tucson— Save the Scenic Santa Ritas has requested state regulators require Tucson Electric Power Company to provide additional information about its plans to provide power to the Copper World mine site through the proposed Santa Rita Connection high-tension power line project.
The Santa Rita Connection is planned to extend a 138 kV power line from a Tucson substation to Sahuarita and surrounding communities. The line would terminate at the planned Santa Rita Substation near the intersection of S. Country Club and Corto roads.
SSSR released a special report detailing TEP’s plans to jointly build the Santa Rita Substation with Hudbay Minerals. The substation will provide power to Copper World through a separate 138 kV power line approved in 2012.
TEP stated at a Jan. 26 Sahuarita Town Council meeting that the Santa Rita Connection has nothing to do with Copper World. However, a subsequent email exchange between the Town of Sahuarita and TEP reveals that TEP and Hudbay plan to jointly construct the substation.
The emails were among a batch of exhibits filed on May 26 with the Arizona Power Plant and Line Siting Committee as part of TEP’s application for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility. The email exchange is the only mention in more than 800 page application that discusses Hudbay and TEP jointly building the Santa Rita Substation and providing power to Copper World.
There is no economic analysis of how much of the $18 million cost of the Santa Rita Connection will be borne by residential ratepayers versus Hudbay. And no discussion of how much money Hudbay will contribute to the Santa Rita Substation construction.
“The combination of TEP and Copper World’s facilities into one Santa Rita Substation raises fundamental questions about the necessity of the (Santa Rita Connection) Project and how much TEP ratepayers are subsidizing Copper World,” SSSR’s Executive Director John Dougherty stated in May 28 public comments submitted to the Line Siting Committee.
SSSR has requested the Line Siting Committee require TEP to amend its CEC application and fully disclose that the Santa Rita Substation will be jointly built by Hudbay and TEP and that it will provide power for Copper World.
SSSR also requested the committee to require TEP to submit an independently-prepared System Impact Study to analyze Copper World’s enormous demand on the electric grid.
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